Well they obviously have a different way of looking at things. Look at the great buildings Allied has renovated and repurposed in the core. RioCan is much more of a big box type developer with scant thought about aesthetics.
Don't think I've seen this rendering of the King Street facade before:
It's a bit different from the version in the database -- the arches now go up two storeys instead of one.
Also news to me: apparently this is now called the "King Portland Centre". The Allied site also has the new name, start date of Q1 2016, and completion in 2019.
Edited to say: I love the subtle details in the brickwork, like the slight angle on the arches and the texture at the top and bottom of the podium. HPA is doing some great work here.
Edit 2: They also have a web site with a couple more new renders. Aiming for LEED platinum!
Finally a start date - this project has teased us for so long and gone through several revisions and even a period of uncertainty, so it's a relief that it'll finally get underway, even if that's still up to 8 months away. Build it already!!
Ya, designing a building with red bricks is neat. They used to do this quite a bit back in the day, so I'm told by historians Apparently, arches and details were no big deal back then.
I'd have zero problem handing over the keys to Allied and HP to building the rest of the City until I die. Well, throw in some Teeple buildings, too, just to mix it up a bit.
Two brief items: The Dulux paint store on the east side of the 602 King Street West building has now gone - something that was promised during earlier presentations on the King Portland Centre project. The space is being renovated, but I am not aware of what is to be going in there. Secondly, at least some of the occupants of the buildings to come down for the redevelopment have been given notice to vacate their premises in the Spring 2016 timeframe. The F Correnti cigar shop will be moving to a location in the Queen and Spadina area.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 11, 2016) - Allied Properties REIT (TSX:AP.UN) and RioCan REIT (TSX:REI.UN) today announced plans to proceed with the development of 602-620 King Street West, Toronto. Shopify Inc. has signed a commitment to lease approximately 112,000 square feet of GLA (approximately 44% of the total office GLA) as the anchor tenant of what will be known as King-Portland Centre.